Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1887-04-07
SET IN DIAMONDS.
CHAPTER VIII-coNcLupEp.

CHAPTER VIII-coNcLUDED.
How many a scathing satir, how
many a polished insult escaped her
even in his presence, and he did not
even detect it.
Even the little Sunbeam. who shodld
have been her one consolation in dis
tress, was another source OF unhappl-
ness. Lady Perth had been so adroit;
she had spoken confidentially TO her
! brother, praying him to believe that all
she said was in his wife's best interest
and absolutely needful TO the welfare
of his child.
His beautiful Marguerite was so
young, she said, and really ridiculous
as Ii might seem, was more inclined to
! treat the child as doll than human
being; indeed. Mrs. Mervin, the head
nurse, had told her, so she said, that If
lay lady had her own way with the
little Sunbeam, she would kill it with
kindness in two days; and Lord Stair
never doubling her, was seriously alarm
ed. She told him every absurd anecdote,
invented on the spur of the moment, to
show him that Lady Stair must have
nothing to do with the baby.
He spoke to his wife, toli her that
she had better leave the entire control
of the nursery to Mrs. Mervin and con-
tent herself with seeing the little one
two or three times day, an not to
interfere with the rules and regulations
laid down. He did not see the passion
ate pain on her face; he did not notice
the culver of pain in her voice.
"Do you moaH," she said, that | am
not to be trusted with my own child?'
He took her in his arms and kissed
her.
mo my darling" he replied, sit is
not that; it Is that you do not know"
She went away from him, and almost
broke her heart with crying.
IL was happier at INSTALL" she said
over and over again to herself.
She was too proud to complain, too
proud to disobey her husband, but those
who had charge of the little Sunbeam
could have told of the passionate tears
shed over the child, and they pittied
her.
We all know what it is when a
shadow falls between two people who
should love each other well; how it
deepens and darkens, how one cold
word induces another; how quickly the
habit of GOODNESS and Indifference is
formed; this shadow had fallen between
Lady Stair and her husband, the pity
being that she knew it and felt it while
he did not.
There was to be no season in town
this year, for two reasons-one was
that Lord Stair wished to finish his
great work; the other , that Lady Stair
was far too delicate. Doctor Aveling
the famous Clitle physician, gave it as
his deliberate opinion that a season in
town would be very injurious to Lady
Stair, and her husband was only too
pleased to remain at home.
So when the month of June came
round again a dead calm had settled
over Oakcliffe Towers, there was not
much visiting, for most of the neighbors
had gone either to the seaside or the
Continent; and no one knew the under
current of pain that Swallowed what
seemed outwardly the most happy and
prosperous of lives.
"The shadow of fate" The words
seem weak, yet to how many of us that
shadow is coming-stealing onward,
pale, cold, silent-while we laugh and
talk, eat, drink, and make merry, quite
regardless of its coming-quite uncon-
scious of it. So the shadow crept to-
ward Lady Stair. The shadow of fate
lay over her one morning. lovely June
day, when the sun was shining, and
the birds were singing in the trees.
She went out TO meet it. She had been
dreaming of the gardens at install,
and her heart ached for the fresh sweet
air. Lady Perth had annoyed her
greatly. She had heard the sound of
little Ethel crying in the nursery, and
had gone to see what was wrong. The
nurse not intending any unkindness.
had told her it would be better not to
take the little one.
''rhey treat me just like child"
said Lady Stair to herself with bitter
pang OF wounded pride and jealousy.
The sweet wind was blowing, the
fragrance of the newly mown hay came
from the meadows, the birds were sing
ing in the thick green boughs Of the
oak-trees. the white dasies and golden
buttercups studded the green grass;
there was an old-fashioned sun dial
standing near the park gates, and Lady
Stair always enjoyed watching it; she
was tired now, and sat down among
the dasies. 1t came creeping over the
golden buttercups, over the green grass
the shadow of fate-tLe shadow of a
fine, gallant, handsome, young man,
with fair debonair face and laughing
eyes.
Came slowly, surely, until it lay at
her feet and darkened the grass. Then
she raised her eyes and saw the face
that was to influence Der life so stran-
gely-the face of Lord Stairs cousin,
Captain Darcy, Este. The shadow
had fallen over her at last.